Mott g



(No Model.)

M. G. GILLETTE.

v MECHANISM FOR OPERATING HAIR GLIPPERS.

No. 548,189. Patented 0013.22, 1895.

FIG. 2.

f5 Z [Li a a a 7 JV I m J k 6 WITNESSES:

@7419 i By his Attorneys,

ANDREW B.GRMIAM. F'HOTOUTNQWASNINGTOQL DYC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MOTT G. GILLETTE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE GILLETTE OLIPPING MACHINE OOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING HAIR-CLIPPERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 548,189, dated October 22, 1895.

' Application filed March 1, 1895. Serial No. 540,186. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MOTT G. GILLETTE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city,

county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Operating Hair-Clippers and Like Devices, of which the following is a speci-,

fication.

This invention relates to devices having an oscillating or vibrating member moved by a cranksuch, for example, as power-driven hair-clippers-in which there is a stationary comb and a vibrating or oscillating cutter driven bya crank from a rotating shaft, sometimes by direct engagement between the crank-pin and cutter, but generally through the intervention of an oscillating lever tilted by the crank at one end. In such devices the oscillating or vibrating member has been constructed with a vertical slot havinga cylindrical or partially-cylindrical shape and the crank-pin has been cylindrical, carrying on its end a cylindrical block or partially-spherical antifriction-roller fitting the slot, rising therein with the movements of the pin, and oscillating therein to permit the swing of the oscillating member under the action of the crank.

My invention aims to provide a device operating on this general principle which shall be simple and economical in construction, easy to assemble for use and separate for repair, which shall operate with the minimum of lost motion and friction and compensate for irregularities orimperfections-in construction, and which shall be exceedingly compact.

To this end in carrying out my invention I provide certain improvements, which will be hereinafter fully set forth.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of my improvements as applied to a power-driven hairclipper in which the cutter is operated by an oscillating lever driven by a crank, Figure l is a top view of the clipper. Fig. 2 is a vertical axial section thereof, the crank being in mid-stroke. Fig. 8 is a bottom view thereof,

partly broken away to show the lever, crankpin, and bearing-block. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the bearing-block; Fig. 5, a perspective view of the crank-pin; Fig. 6, a perspective view of the crank-shaft. and Fig. 7 a diagrammatic view showing fragments of the shaft and lover and the crank-pin and block in several positions.

Referring to the drawings, let A indicate the handle or body-piece of the clipper; B, the driving-shaft thereof; 0, the shaft-nut; D, the stationary knife or comb-plate fixed to the body; E, the vibrating or reciprocating knife or cutter-plate movable on the comb-plate; F, the tension-plate, resting at its rear edge on the comb-plate and at its front edge on the cutter-plate; G, the guiding-bolts therefor; H, the tensionnuts on these bolts; I, the tensionspring between the nuts and plate F; J, the oscillating lever; K, the crank-pin on the shaft for oscillating the lever; L, the fulcrum or hearing of the lever; M, its front slot; N, a swinging pin entering this slot and carried by the cutter F to transmit the motion of the lever into reciprocatory motion of the cutter, and O a slot in the tension-plate through which the pin N projects. These parts are in general of well-known construction, and for the purposes of my invention may be of any ordinary or suitable construction or arrangement.

As usual, the body A has a cylindrical socket a, within which the cylindrical head I) of the shaft rotates and in which it is held by the nut O. The head 1) at one side of its axis has a cylindrical pin-socket 0, receiving the cylindrical body d of the crank-pin K, which latter has a flattened projecting end e, having fiat side faces and of substantially the same breadth as the body of the pin. Beyond the head the body A has a chamber P, within which the crank-pin revolves, which chamber receives the inner end of the lever J and has an opening Q, through which this lever projects. The lever J at its inner end has a substantially-cylindrical socket or slot R, extending vertically or at right angles to the axis of the shaft and. parallel with the axis on which the lever is fulcrumed, closed at its side and inner walls and open at its front opposite the cranko pin K, through the medium of which slot the motion of the crank-pin is transmitted to the lever by an intervening compensating block S, which is cylindrical, or substantially so, fits the slot, and engages the crank-pin, reciproeating with the latter and in doing so oscillating on its own axis in the slot R with the swinging of the lever and sliding toward and from the pin as the inner end of the lever approaches or leaves the latter.

According to one feature of my invention I construct the block S as a longitudinallygrooved block, with a groove T extending from its periphery radially inwardly in its body, preferably well beyond its axis, and from its top to its bottom, having parallel flat side walls and open ends. The block S is preferably slightly longer than the diameter of the throw of the crank-pin, plus the width of the bearing-face of the end 6 of the latter, and the groove T of the block and the flatfaced end e of the crank-pin make a close fit when the latter is in the groove. The block is substantially the same length as the height of the inner end of the lever J, which end for this purpose is constructed with an enlargement or boss f, extending above and below the remainder of its body g. By thus constructing the crank-pin to oscillate freely in its socket and making it a loose movable fit therein and the block with a longitudinal groove of sufficient length to permit the movement of the pin without necessarily raising or lowering the block, and as an oscillating member in the lever engaging the pin with sutlieient freeness to permit easy longitudinal movement of the pin and the necessary sliding of the block toward and from'the pin as the lever oscillates, the compensation required for transforming the reciproeatory into the oscillatory motion is obtained with very little friction and without any undue looseness of fit between the parts, and all within the space essential to 'the rotation of the crank-pin, so that the bulk of the body A of the clipper can be preserved within the limits convenient to its use as a handle for the instrument.

Any imperfection in the construction of the parts or in their operation by reason of the entrance of foreign matter into any of the joints is compensated for by the combined relative movability of the pin and block and shaft and lever. Any dirt between the pin and block may be thrown out at either end of the groove T or the block may be withdrawn from its socket longitudinally without disturbing any of the other parts of the motionconverting members.

Another feature of improvement consists in constructing the body A with the neck portion U terminating in a wall h at front and substantially flush with the front end of the shaft, and with the shell portion V having a flat face i on its bottom side extending from the wall It to the opening g, substantially flush with the bottom edge of the bossf of the lever J, and with the hubj of this lever fitting the latter snugly at the opening Q, and in providing a special cover consisting of a flat plate resting on the bottom 2' of the body, held thereon by screws 70, especially provided for that purpose at rear, and tightly closing the chamber P. Thus access of dust to the latter is prevented when the parts are assembled. The bearing-block is located between the top wall 5 of the chamber and the top face of the cover, so that it cannot be displaced in opera tion and a stable body is created for the instrument. The removal of the bottom cover W gives complete access to the lever J and block S. The latter can then be withdrawn for cleaning; or the lever can be detached by unscrewing its screw-stud L, the upper end of which screws into the top wall of the body A. The bottom plate or cover WV affords an exeellent point for attachment of the stationary plate or comb D, which is preferably fastened thereto by screws m passing through the comb-plate and cover-plate and screwing into the corners n of the body. The separable fastening for the stationary plate, when independent of that for the cover W, enables the detachment of the plate B and all the parts 'of the clipper carried by it without any disturbance of the body or the driving mechanism of the clipper. Thus one character or grade of cutting parts may be substituted for another with the use of the same body portion, and either may be repaired, cleaned, or altered separately of and without disturbing the other.

In operation the clipper will be driven from any suitable source of power connected in any suitable manner with the shaft B, the body A will be held in the hand, and the comb presented to the hair to be cut, as usual. The oscillation of the lever and vibration of the cutter will proceed as ordinarily through the connection of the crank-pin and block; but the force required to transmit this motion will be diminished and the regularity and freedom of the conversion of the motion will render the instrument easier and more agreeable of manipulation.

It will be seen that my invention provides improvements in hair-clippers and like devices which can be variously and advantageously availed of, and it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact features of construction and combination set forth as constituting its preferred form,since it may be availed of according to such modifications as circumstances or the judgment of those skilled in the art may indicate without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is, in hair-clippers and like devices, the following-defined novel features and combinations, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, namely:

1. In hair clippers and other devices, the combination with a rotating crank pin, and a member having a back and forth movement driven thereby, of a compensating block for said crank pin having a substantially cylindrical exterior and an elongated radial slot,

disposed at right angles to the axis of rotation of said pin, receiving the end of the latter in said groove, and a substantially cylindrical socket in said member, embracing said block and maintaining it opposite said pin.

2. In hair clippers and like devices having a rotating shaft, a crank pin carried thereby, a reciprocating cutter, and an oscillating lever driving thelatter and driven by said crank pin, said lever having a substantially cylindrical socket opposite said pin, a substantially cylindrical block fitting said socket rotatively and having a longitudinal groove embracing said crank pin and of greater length than the throw of the latter, said block receiving the motion of said pin and transmitting it to said lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In hair clippers and other devices, a rotary shaft having a cylindrical crank pin socket, in combination with a crank pin, having a cylindrical body fitting rotatively in said socket, and a projecting end, a member having a back and forth movement opposite said pin and a cylindrical socket at right angles to the axis of said shaft, and a substantially cylindrical block fitting in said socket,

free to move rotatively and longitudinally therein and having an elongated longitudinal groove receiving the end of said crank pin and of greater length than the throw of the latter, whereby said pin and block are relatively movable to adapt themselves to the conditions of use.

4t. In hair clippers and other devices, a-rotary shaft B having an eccentric socket c, a crank pin K having a cylindrical body (1 loosely fitting in said socket, and a fiat end e projecting therefrom, in combination with an oscillating lever J having an open ended substantially cylindrical socket R opposite said pin, and a substantially cylindrical block S fitting movably in said socket and having a longitudinal groove T extending from end to end of the block and embracing the fiat end of said pin, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

v5. In hair clippers and like articles, a body A having a cylindrical shaft socket a, a chamberP near its front end, walls surrounding said chamber, a flat face 15 at the bottom of said Walls, an opening Q through said walls, and a wall hat the rear of said chamber, in combination with a shaft in said shaft socket having a crank pin in said chamber P, a lever fulcrumed on said head, projecting through said opening Q and having an oscillating end within said chamber P engaged and oscillated by said crank pin, a cover W seating on said bottom face 2' of said walls and closing said chamber P, a cutter end opposite said lever and carried by said body, a movable knife carried by said cutter-end and operated by said lever, means for fastening said cutter end to said body, and means independent of the means for fastening said cutter end for fastening said cover to said body, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In hair clippers and like articles, a body A having a chamber P, a rotating shaft B having a crank pin within said chamber, an oscillating lever J carried by said body and having an end within said chamber and operated .by said pin, and a cover W fastened to said body and closing said chamber, in combination with a cutter end for said clipper fastened to said body, a movable knife carried by said cutter-end :and operated by said lever, and means fastening said cutter end to said body in dependently of said cover, whereby said cutter end and body can be separated without disturbing said cover or the driving mechanism.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MOTT G. GILLETTE. Witnesses:

GEORGE H. FRASER, WM. H. ELTING. 

